The Dance's Door
by Madam'zelleGiry
Summary: An ongoing collection of drabbles celebrating the many reasons to ship Nathan/Kristin. Gift!Fic for darkin520.
1. Chapter 1

**A special happy birthday to the lovely darkin520! I hope you enjoy, my darling!**

* * *

1. **_"And what are you, some kind of stowaway?"_**

The chuckle that she heard was enough to pull her out of her fury, turning her head about to find the source of the sound. "You find this amusing?" She frowned at the man in the corridor, who seemed none the worse for wear under her gaze.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I do."

She drew herself up, crossing her arms and looking at him searchingly before speaking. "And what are you… some kind of stowaway?" she shot, looking pointedly at his clothes.

"Something like that. The name's Bridger."

* * *

_2. **Her awkwardness when they first met.**_

"Nathan Bridger?" Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes widening as she realized her mistake. _I can't believe I just said…_

He fingered his visitor's badge and frowned, as though trying to make out the writing. "Last time I looked."

She blushed, feeling idiotically flustered as she tried to find something to say. "I… I know your work. Topography, thermal range variances. I tried to contact you once. They said you were … unreachable. I'm sorry, Kristin Westphalen, medical doctor, physical oceanographer, and head of the science team aboard this ship." She extended her hand, a smile on her face.

* * *

3. **"_She ought to be committed."_**

Nathan watched her leave with an expression of faint amusement on his lips. "She seems very committed." _To say the least…_

Commander Ford pursed his lips and folded his arms, shaking his head. "She ought to be committed."

But he wasn't listening as the commander moved down the corridor. He was watching her retreating back, wondering… _What just happened? _He was beginning to wonder if it would be worth it to stay on the boat. He could easily get used to this.

* * *

4.**_ "No, it's not, Doctor, it's about saving lives."_**

"Weapons," she spat, not even trying to hide the disgust on her face, "that's what this is really about, isn't it?" She got to her feet, not in the mood to listen to any more of this. _I can't believe it. _

"Just a minute!"

His voice cut through the air, catching her and spinning her around to face him. She sighed, holding herself straight as she waited for him to continue.

"No, it's not, Doctor." He was looking straight at her, and she swallowed. "It's about saving lives."

She stared at him, and realized that she wanted to believe him. "I hope so."

* * *

_5. **The fact that they look adorable when they argue.**_

"You are going to fire _him_ out of a torpedo tube!" So much for this not being about couldn't believe that he would be so irresponsible as to fire a dolphin out of the tube. Was he insane?

"No, he is going to swim out of a torpedo tube." Bridger looked indignant, although a bit sheepish. _And for good reason._

She crossed her arms with a huff, not caring that she looked like a mopey teenager. "I still don't like it."

* * *

_6. **Her reactions to his inside jokes **_

"Swim like Bridger." Darwin clicked and whistled gleefully, happy to be able to help. "No suit. Skin."

Bridger avoided looking at Dr. Westphalen as the dolphin swam off. There was absolutely no way that he was going to talk about this with her.

"What was that all about?" she asked dryly, looking as though she didn't quite want to hear the answer anyway.

"An inside joke," he said with a brief shake of his head. _Darwin…_

"Ha ha." There was absolutely nothing resembling humor in that laugh and he cringed.

* * *

_7. **Their shared moment over Darwin's success**_

Hands reached out to stroke the silky smooth skin of the dolphin, and she couldn't stop the smile from crossing her face. "Well done, clever Darwin." She stroked the tip of Darwin's nose, laughing softly as he nuzzled against her hand like a pleased puppy. "Yes, well done, well done."

She wasn't sure what caused her to look up, but when she did, she saw Captain Bridger standing in the doorway. He said nothing, just watched her with his dolphin, the ghost of a smile on his lips. When he caught her gaze, he nodded and made his way out of the room. And, without realizing it, she began to smile.

* * *

_8. **She knows just how much Darwin means to him**_

She could feel Captain Bridger hovering over her shoulder as she softly probed the dolphin's skin. The captain's energy pushed on her with a feeling of confusion and worry.

When she risked a glance behind her, she could see the look on his face and she swallowed hard. "Would it be better for you to go back with Raleigh so that you don't have to watch this?" she asked gently. "It will be a while before we know anything."

His eyes were distant, and his lips were tight. One hand reached out to stroke Darwin's skin. He looked terrible.

"I'll do everything I can, Captain," she said, feeling a lump rising in her throat as she watched him. "I promise."

* * *

_9. **The way he comforted her after a chess game with a mass murderer** _

"Easy, easy." He pulled her close, feeling her breathing becoming erratic and fearful. He watched as Zellar was dragged away until the door closed. But he wished that he hadn't done when he saw the way that the man was eyeing Kristin.

The look was one that would have reduced even him to a shivering mess, but the fact that it was directed at Kristin made his blood boil. He was only glad that she hadn't seen it. But the look of lust was enough. The deep freeze was a lenient punishment when compared to the sentence he had in mind…

* * *

_10. **Poker**_

She'd been a little wary of learning to play poker, but she had to admit that she'd wanted to laugh at the look on his face when she had asked him for a lesson. He was a very eager teacher, and he was obviously good at the game. He'd proclaimed her a natural. She was a fast learner, and was enjoying a winning streak.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you, Doctor," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I may have let you win before, but I'm going to be brutal this time around."

"We'll see, Captain." Her smile grew as she picked up the cards he had just dealt her. "We'll see."


	2. Chapter 2

**11. "Just put out the good towels."**

"And did you get a degree in advanced genetics on that island of yours?"

She couldn't keep the hint of a smile from her lips as she watched his amusement. Dinner and a show said that he had something up his sleeve, and she wondered how she was going to feel about this one. You never could tell with the captain.

"If I find this Dr. Peche, and he knows anything about what's killing my crew, I don't think I'll be asking him the questions. You will be."

"Well, since I'm not going anywhere…" she trailed off, raising an eyebrow at him suspiciously.

"Just put out the good towels. We may be having company."

Translation: I have every faith in your abilities.

She shook her head as she watched him move away. Really.

* * *

**12. "No. I think it should come from you."**

She sat in the mess, fingers cupped around a mug of tea, eyes closed in the silence. A change in her surroundings was always wonderful, and helped her mind to calm.

And tonight, she needed that calm.

_Discover a series of bodies on a research facility dead from a virus that no one had ever seen, discover that the disease was actually a genetic killing experiment, discover a way to combat the disease to keep it from killing the crew. Discover, discover, discover. All in a day's work._

"Are you alright?"

She jumped at his voice, slopping a bit of tea over herself. Flushed, she reached over for a wad of napkins and tried to mop it up as he apologized. "Fine."

"Here, let me help you." He carefully picked up the wet napkins and moved over to throw them out. "It was really excellent what you did today," he said softly. "You saved a lot of lives."

She blushed, looking down at the mug. "It was fine." _Fine?_ "I was glad to help."

He hesitated, apparently wondering whether or not he should sit next to her. "Well, you were great," he said awkwardly. "I'm glad we have you on our side."

A smile crossed her lips and she nodded. "So am I."

* * *

**13. "Then it's out of my hands."**

How in the world did he manage to make her so angry?

She knew that he cared more about the children from the depot than he could admit at the moment. There was too much at stake, too much to worry about getting the last child out of harm's way. But why did he refuse to look at the future?

The motherly instinct inside her was showing, and she knew it. She could see a hint of Nathan's paternal side as well; she knew that this hurt him too. So why was she so upset? Was it because she missed her own children? Her own family? Was that it? The fact that she had been without her husband and children for so long? Not just on the _seaQuest_ but for months before…

She'd thought he'd understand how she felt. How much seeing those children made her long for the past. For a family.

Maybe he did understand… maybe not.

* * *

**14. "I'm sorry."**

He found her in the mess again. Honestly, it was a place that she visited when she was upset, and he knew that. And he knew that she was angry with him.

"I didn't mean it, you know."

She didn't look at him. "You were going to let them be separated."

"I told you. It was out of my hands. And I did everything that I could. They will be together." He moved over so that he was standing next to her and reached a hand out to touch her shoulder. She promptly slapped him away.

"Dr. Westphalen, why are you angry with me?" He folded his arms at her and shook his head. "It was a moment's indecision. I had to worry about finishing our mission before I could think about the children. You know that."

"It's not you. It was them. They made me think. About my ex-husband. And my daughters. It made me think what it was like to have a family. I haven't had that in so long."

He bit his lip, looking down at her fingers wrapped around another mug of tea. How she loved her tea…

"Will you tell me about it?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes. I really want to know."

* * *

**15. "I said I awoke strangely invigorated, I didn't say it didn't hurt!"**

He could have sworn that she smirked at him when he tried to explain exactly how he'd managed to get the incredibly colorful bruise up his back. Then again, she was a scientist; her reaction did make sense. And he couldn't quite believe that he was hurled across his room by some sort of ghost anyway…

He also wondered if she was getting him back for that last poker game. Couldn't put anything past her.

_Don't annoy the one who dresses your wounds._

* * *

**16. Spit**

The exasperated look on her face as the crew filed into the sunken ship, spitting as they went, was just too precious to pass up. He knew that she didn't believe in this stuff anymore than he did, but at least he was willing to let them have their fun.

Still, even she couldn't deny the fact that this ship felt… eerie. He took her by the hand briefly as they made their way into the meat of the ship.

"You feeling alright?"

"I don't know what I'm feeling."

He swallowed hard and gave her hand a squeeze. She gave him half a nervous smile as they kept walking. It wasn't everyday they had the chance to explore a haunted ship at the bottom of the ocean… they should be feeling some excitement. Shouldn't they?

* * *

**17. His voice when she was locked in Lillian's cabin**

"Kristin!"

The ice of the doorknob burned his hand as he frantically tried to open the door. He clenched his hand into a fist, opening and closing the fingers to regain some feeling in the joints. He couldn't hear what was going on. He couldn't see her, he had no idea what was happening, but the terror in his gut told him that this was bad. This was very bad.

He couldn't get to her. He heard the screams in the room, the cries of anguish, felt the wind begin to blow. Wind? How was there wind at the bottom of the ocean?

The door flew off its hinges in a strong motion, and he fell against the wall, his head knocking into the plaster and making his vision bounce… and there was only one thought in his mind:

_Kristin_

* * *

**18. The dress**

He had no idea what to think as she stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a stunning, white ball gown. She was… beautiful. She was more than beautiful. But the look in her eyes. The words in her mouth. The expression on her face… it wasn't her. It was someone else. Someone had taken her. Something was using her body as its own. For its own intentions.

Whatever it was had assaulted her. Had stolen her. Trapped her mind somewhere inside… was her mind even still there? Was she even Kristin underneath this person? Lilly? Was that it? Was that who had taken her? _She's ra…_ He didn't want to finish the thought.

All he knew was that they had to find out what had happened. They had to find out how to fix this. And damn it, but they would figure it out soon. Before something truly terrible happened to Kristin.

* * *

**19. His touch as they danced**

"Is that what keeps you here?"

He gently took her hand in his, feeling the silk of the glove resting on his fingers. Swaying back and forth to the music in their minds, he looked at her. Looked at Lillian, not Kristin. But Kristin… it was too upsetting. Too horrible to think what was happening inside her.

As he danced with her, he almost allowed his eyes to close. A moment… a moment with her.

"He's what keeps me here."

And as she swooned, he reached out and caught her effortlessly. It was time for this to end.

* * *

**20. Nitrogen narcosis **

She was so shaken in the launch back to the ship. The others gave her the privacy that she so desperately needed, but he could still see the embarrassment on her face as he knelt next to her position on the bench. He knew she didn't like being fussed over, but this was different. This time he'd been so scared…

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, trying to get into a sitting position, but fighting against Levin, who was ordering her to lie back down. "Nothing a cup of tea wouldn't solve."

He found himself chuckling. "How very British."

She paused, propping herself on one elbow, as if in a compromise with Levin. And then she smiled. "How very British."


End file.
